Following the reveal of a Tom Gates nationwide live stage show launching in April, TG Entertainment has appointed Larkshead Licensing as the new UK licensing agent for the popular book and TV brand.
Larkshead will launch its strategy at the upcoming Brands & Retail Conference, which takes place this month (January).
The agency will focus on extending the licensing programme which inspires children to get creative in a variety of innovative ways.
“With an incredibly loyal family fanbase built up by the success of the laugh-out-loud books and tv series, and a 45-date live show coming soon, 2025 is a great time to refresh the Tom Gates licensing programme,” commented Liz Keynes, commercial director at TG Entertainment. “The brand already connects brilliantly with the target audience of 6-12 year olds but the licensing business is fast-changing and Larkshead articulated a clear vision embracing new opportunities to create products and partnerships to bring even more fun, creativity and confidence into children’s lives.”
Clare Piggott, md at Larkshead Licensing, continued: “We are incredibly honoured to have been entrusted with furthering the licensing journey for this brilliantly successful brand. We can’t wait to get to work with the Tom Gates team on new ideas which will take Tom’s adventures from page, screen and stage and inspire more children to pick up pens, pencils and paintbrushes and explore their creative sides.”
Launched in 2011, Liz Pichon’s multi-award-winning Tom Gates book series published by Scholastic has sold more than 16.5 million copies worldwide and has been translated into 47 languages. The 23 novels, in handwritten font with Tom’s doodles and pictures embellishing the text, document in hilarious detail his everyday trials and tribulations at home and school.
All three series of the TV spin-off, The Brilliant World of Tom Gates, plus Christmas and Halloween specials, are available to view on demand on Sky Kids and Now, with selected episodes and clip compilations on YouTube.
The stage show, meanwhile, will launch in April at The Rose Theatre in Kingston-upon-Thames, before embarking on a 45-date tour around the UK.
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